


The Man Who Fell To Earth : A Ben Solo Story

by missporgy



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bendemption, Earth, F/M, Portals, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22457446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missporgy/pseuds/missporgy
Summary: Ben Solo enters a Portal that leads to this dimension.He needs to find the Maker to help him come back.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 65
Kudos: 83





	1. Tatooine

Rey looked to the suns in Tatooine, burning bright side by side - a dyad of light. 

Like her. And Ben. 

She felt the familiar ache in her heart as her thoughts rest on Ben Solo. It’s been over a month now. She hasn’t felt him. Her soul felt shattered and incomplete. Everyday she yearned to see him again. To feel their bond in the Force. To touch him. His hair. His face. His smile. To feel his strong arms around her one more time. 

*beep beep boop*

BB-8 reminded her that it’s time to move. Before the sun starts to set. It’s time to go back to Ajan Kloss. 

\--  
  


Rey sighed. This was her family now, the former Resistance. The fall of the First Order and the Sith army left the galaxy in disarray. A lot of work was ahead of them. All hands were needed on deck. But she had to do this one thing. For Luke, and Leia... and all the Skywalkers.

“ _Rey Skywalker_ ” she said aloud. She didn’t really know why she said that. She saw Luke and Leia and that was the first thing that popped into her brain. That old lady was nosy and she felt she had to give an answer so she’ll just go away. She can’t very well tell her she was a Palpatine - although she doubts the old lady knew anything about all of that. Best to be sure. Best for no one to know.

Nobody alive knew now.

She hasn’t told her friends. Leia was gone. Luke was gone. Palpatine was gone. Ben..was gone.

Ben. Ben Solo. A Solo. She smiled. She should have said she was a Solo.

“ _ **Rey Solo”**_ she said aloud again. That sounded good. That’s what she is anyway. Solo. Alone.

Bb8 gave out more beeps. “Yeah yeah we’ll get going”

——

Bb8 rolled up the Falcon to help get the ship ready.

Rey was taking her time, still lost in her thoughts - and was about to go up the Falcon ramp when she felt it.

All the sounds in the whole galaxy faded away.

She can only hear her heart.

And his.

Ben.

She felt the tears fill her eyes as all the days and nights of intense longing rose up. 

She looked up. He wasn’t there. 

Ben.

She ran back into the sand, looking for him. 

Ben.

_Rey._

It was very faint, just a whisper from far away. But she heard it. It was like a voice from a dark void. She kept running, trying to find him. She was now standing back in the middle of the sand, far from the Falcon. 

_Rey....... please._

“Ben!!” She shouted into the void, desperate to find him, her sobs weaving into her desperate cries. ''BEN!!!''

——

Rey couldn’t find him.

He’s gone.

She was just..hearing things.

He’s gone.

“He’s gone” she said out loud, falling into a heap in the sand, crying bitterly.

She can just stay here. Right here in the hot sand. Until she becomes one with the Force. Maybe they’ll be together then.

She rolled her head over to the other side and Master Luke was sitting on the sand beside her.

“Rey. Still trying to escape. To run away. I told you it doesn’t work” Luke shook his head.

A tear rolled slowly down Rey’s cheek as she stared at her old Master. 

“I need him. I need him with me” her voice monotonous and sad. Her heart was tired.

“He IS with you. He’s ..”

“ **NO!! Stop saying that!** I want to hold him. I want to BE with him!” Rey yelled. Frustrated at all the times she’s been told that he is inside him, his life force, part of her forever. It made sense to everyone but _her_ **.**

_“Rey, sit up.”_

Leia was standing beside them, gathering her robes as she tries to sit in the sand beside her brother.

“These force ghost robes are so elaborate” Leia muttered.

Luke smiled “You can change it you know”

“Yeah yeah but I figured if this is my forever form I’d want to look pretty” Leia retorted as she finally found a spot to sit.

She looked at Rey and held out her hand. “Sit up, Rey.”

\---

Rey looked at them both. They have taught her so much in the last month. About the Skywalkers. About the Force. About this Universe.

They told her about the maker, the father of the Force, the light and the dark and the endless wars in these stars. The themes that weave into all of their stories. Hope and love and family. Failure and Redemption. She is thankful for their guidance. But neither of them knew what was in her heart. She was tired. Tired of keeping things to herself. 

It broke her, when she thought she felt and heard Ben after all this time. All the days of smiling for the Resistance. Sitting through their victory parties, all along her soul hollow and empty as the old Sarlacc pit. She was just tired.

“I’m not getting up. There is nothing inside of me. There is nothing outside of me. All your tales of hope and love and I have nothing. Ben had nothing”

“There is everything inside and outside of you” Luke said. “You carry the balance in the Force. The galaxy needs you”

“I don’t need the galaxy. I need him.” She looked at Leia. “I need him Master Leia”

Leia smiled down at her. “I know”

“..and I can’t find him. He’s not here anymore. He’s not even a Force Ghost like you! He’s just..” Rey sat up. Fueled with anger at whoever and whatever that just..took him. “He’s just GONE!”

Luke and Leia looked at each other. Luke nodded at his sister. “You say it. I’ve said it often enough”

Leia smiled, and held Rey’s hand. “Rey...” Her soft brown eyes shone, so much like her son’s. “ _..no one’s ever really gone_ ”

——

She watched them fade away as Leia’s words washed over her heart. She adjusted into a lotus position, as she has many times before. The air here in Tatooine was different. Like a millennia of stories are carried by each gust of the wind. Pain. Happiness. Loss. Family. Battles. Friendship. Love. Love. Always love, crackling in the air like a live wire. And between it all, a Force.

Inside her, that same Force. 

The Force was strong on Tatooine. Maybe, this was why she came here. She needed this. She had very little strength left to go on.

She centered herself.

“Be with me. Be with me” 

She saw him, in her mind’s eye.

His surprisingly gentle face underneath that mask. His adorably curious face as he explores their new force bond. His eyes shiny with tears as they touched hands. His firm resolve to protect her from Snoke. His paralyzing pain when he felt his mother pass in the Force. Him, racing into Exegol to save her. 

The relief that washed over her as she realized that Ben Solo came for her, and she wasn’t alone. His smile. His kiss. 

Rey smiled. She wishes that’s where it ended. It was glorious. It was as powerful as the Force itself. 

Thinking of Ben, here, in the middle of the sands of Tatooine has given her some peace. Maybe she _was_ hearing things. Maybe she’ll have to wait until she herself passes into the Force to ever know what happened to Ben - but she will see him again, she believes that. 

She is thankful, that they at least had that moment. She only wishes she had a chance to tell him. That she loved him.

She smiled. She never said it to herself either. But she did.

“I love you” she closed her eyes and whispered into the winds of Tatooine. “I love you Ben Solo”

She opened her eyes, and he was there.


	2. Earth

Rey blinked twice. 

He was still there.

It was Ben - but he looked different. His hair was shorter. He was wearing strange clothes. He was leaning against something, his chin between his rippling arms underneath a gray long sleeved shirt, and was wearing pants of a blue material she hasn’t seen in the galaxy. She can hardly see his surroundings but it was a room of some sort, unlike any hut or quarters she knows. 

Her mind was having a hard time comprehending both the fact that he is finally here, in front of her, and that she doesn’t completely understand where he IS. 

Ben’s eyes were wide and unblinking. His mouth lay open as he too stood overwhelmed at seeing Rey in the desert, after what seemed like countless days and nights of trying to reach her. Now she is actually...here.

He heard her then. Calling him. In his head. He stood up from his couch and followed the voice. “Rey..” he shouted. “Rey....” he closed his eyes and tried to center himself. “...please” 

He looked around his small apartment, desperately trying to feel her again. He can’t. How can he. He was a universe away. He leaned against his inexpensive clothes drawer and buried his face in his arms.

He had been so lonely, and confused. He was no stranger to the mysteries of either the dark and the light side, but nothing he has read or studied prepared him for what happened as he passed into the Force.

—-

After he passed, he felt himself falling into the pit again, but this time the souls of all he has destroyed as Kylo Ren haunted him as he descended, grabbing and wailing at him as he felt their pain crush his soul and fill him with darkness. 

Rey. Rey. He kept his mind on Rey to keep from going mad. 

He landed in a dark place. Empty. Silent. His eyes adjusted to a soft glow emanating from the floor. He looked up and saw that the light wound around a path, and branched out to many more. Paths leading to different softly illuminated portals. The Vergence Scatter. He has read about this.

So far he understood what was happening. What he doesn’t understand is why he was here. 

He has not completely passed into the Force. He wondered why.

Ben recalled letting go of his Kylo Ren lightsaber. He has killed Kylo Ren. He has found his Light. Before he passed, he has given the ultimate sacrifice. For Rey.

Rey. 

She still needed him. He felt it. They were a dyad in the Force. If he completely passes, then so will she. Maybe this is why he is here, between worlds. To wait. He will wait.

He walked along the path, hearing voices from the past 

_“It’s just you and me kid”_

_“He was accompanied..by a girl”_

_“You’re just a child..in a mask”_

_“..Neither are you”_

_“Please Ben, please don’t go this way”_

_“See you around, kid”_

_“I wanted to take your hand. Ben’s hand”_

Rey. It was always her.

He smiled. He felt at peace with what he has done. He was glad that even if he knew he didn’t have long, he still had the strength to do it. He knew she has to live. The galaxy needed her. She will bring balance. 

The Force was kind to him. He thought that he will pass as soon as she regained her life force. He didn’t.

The Force allowed him a few more seconds to finally have her in his arms. To smile at her. To kiss her. Finally. He smiled. He loved her for so long. Each and every time they spoke his heart was a flurry of emotions, and his mind was in physical pain just thinking how he can convince her to be with him. He never knew what to say, and somehow it was always wrong. But he loved her. Most of all. He hopes she knew it, in the end. He hopes she knows he’ll wait for her, no matter how long.

He notices the path slowly fading beneath his feet as he continued walking, lost in his own thoughts. The path behind him was no more. He realized that he needed to keep walking to avoid falling into the darkness. Soon he saw that even the path in front of him was starting to fade. 

No. I can’t fall into the darkness. Rey needs me to wait. She needs me.

The only way to avoid falling was to enter a portal. Ben Solo walked into the brightest one.

—

_**“Good boy shirt Ben Solo!! Alright man!..You even got the hole and everything!''** _

Somebody punched him lightly in the arm. Dressed like a First Order intern. How dare he...

“ _OMG a redeemed Ben Solo!! I love you man, Ben Solo Lives! Yeah!!”_

A..jedi? He even had a saber with him. 

He was confused.

Then he saw her. Rey. She was walking away from him into some sort of room.

“REEEEY!” He yelled. “REEEY!”

“Hey that’s Finn’s schtick” The jedi said to him, smiling. 

Finn? He’s here too?

Rey turned around..and it wasn’t her. She had her hair up just like her, wearing the same white clothes he last saw her in. With the legacy saber. But it wasn’t her. She smiled at him and yelled “Benn! I love you!” And went off giggling with her friends..one of which seemed to be dressed like Auntie Amilyn.

How does she know who I am. 

How does everyone here seem to know who I am. 

Ben looked around. There’s someone dressed like Uncle Luke. More jedis. A Mandalorian carrying a small..yoda? Countless Stormtroopers. A handful of Darth Vaders. And..Kylo Rens. 

He felt ill. He has no idea where he is, and what’s going on. 

\---

He looked up and he saw a huge mural. A portrait. Young uncle Luke. His mother. Anakin. Padme. Obi-wan. And to the right - Rey...and HIM. 

He staggered into the corner. He felt his head becoming lighter. It’s all of us. Our whole story. Up on a wall. Is this the after-life. Have I passed on. 

“Hey man have a seat you look like you’re freaking out” 

Admiral Ackbar was seated on the floor, against the wall looking up at him.

Right. He’s dead. Ben is definitely in the after life. He took a seat beside the Admiral.

Ackbar handed him a bottle of water.

“Have some water, man. These conventions are tough on the body sometimes. All the standing around. The whole visual feast.” He chuckled. “I love it. But I swear if someone asks me to say ‘it’s a Trap!’ one more time I’m probably going to lose it” 

Ben took a swig of water absentmindedly. Wow. It’s just like First Order water. None of that murky soily water he had when he was young.

A man walking in front of them took out his communicator and a flash of light blinded him for a second. “Aww yeah! Ben Solo and Admiral Ackbar! This is going viral..”

Ben was breathing heavily beside the Admiral, taking it all in. He understood nothing.

“Admiral...where am I?”

Ackbar giggled. “You’re in worse shape than I thought.”

“Am I..am I dead?” Ben looked at his large Calamari eyes.

“Well....” Ackbar took a deep breath. He’s just going to go along with this poor guy. “There’s a popular theory going around that you are not in fact, dead-dead. I mean, nobody saw a Force Ghost” 

“Yes. I have studied long and hard, Admiral. I should know how to be a Force Ghost.”

“Exactly, man! You were like the most powerful Force user. You even had the power to keep Rey from dying right?”

“Rey!” Ben gasped. “Admiral, you know about her? Is she safe? Is she alright?”

“Well..last time we saw her she was on Tatooine” Ackbar rambled. “She buried the legacy saber - and your mom’s - at Luke’s old homestead. Then she called herself ‘Rey Skywalker’ then walked off into the sunset with BB8. I don’t know..that’s not really how I would have ended her story” 

Ahh. She is safe. That’s all that matters. “Admiral. You know so much. Thank you” 

“You can stop calling me Admiral” he chuckled. He trusted this strange boy. He started taking off his..head.

Ben stared in horror. “Admiral, no - what are you doing??” 

“It’s okay dude everyone’s inside now for that Obi-wan show panel. It's wildly popular - they'll be in there for a while. I’ll be fine”

Ben watched incredulously as Ackbar took off his own head. And inside was this sweet face looking up at him. He has no idea who he is. “Who..are you?”

“Well that’s a first!” He laughed. He held out his hand “Rian.”

——

Ben still had no idea who he was. Ben held out his own hand, copying his strange gesture. “Ben”

“No man, what’s your real name” Rian chuckled as he shook his hand - unnaturally larger than his, he noticed.

“Benjamin Organa Solo.” He said earnestly. 

Rian stared at him. This guy was _committed_. And he really does look just like HIM. Top tier cosplay. He knows someone who would hire this guy in a minute. “Wow. You look just like him” he shook his head in awe. 

“Why were you wearing a mask?” Ben knows all about masks.

“Some people here don’t like me” he giggled. “I like them though. I love the energy. Especially those who are having the most fun with this whole thing. There are those..who really appreciate what I’ve done.”

“What..have you done?”

This guy..seriously had no idea who he was. How refreshing. “The hand touch. The throne room scene. Canto Bight. Hero Finn. Conflicted hero Poe. Rose. The Holdo Maneuver. Force powers Leia.” Rian smiled. “And shirtless Kylo Ren” 

Ben looked at him. He remembered _that_ secret section in the Jedi texts. About the father of the Force. “You’re...the maker!!?” 

Rian laughed. “Oh no no that’s not me. I just gave you lovebirds a push in the right direction.” He smiled. He held Ben’s arm. “My story has ended. Let’s hope someone, somewhere brings you guys back together, huh?”

Rey. Maybe this guy can help. “I need to be with her, Rian.”

Rian stood up. He needs to go prepare for his panel. “I know.” He smiled.

He fishes out a card from his Admiral pocket. “Drop me your number, Ben Solo. We might need you sometime” he smiled. Seriously this guy can be a stunt double or something. Not that Adam needs one, that guy does all his stunts. 

“My..number...?” Ben looked at the card, confused. Rian was already walking away. 

“What do I do Rian?” Ben yelled out. He trusts this man. The Force is strong in him.

“Trust in the Force, Ben Solo! It will lead you home” 

—-

Ben sat there for a long time. Staring at the mural. Staring at Rey. He closed his eyes. 

“Rey”

Nothing. He felt nothing. This was not where she is. This was an entirely different dimension. 

He still has no idea where he is. But the Force brought him here. This must be how he’ll get back. 

He saw a Trooper walk in front of him. “Trooper. What Planet is this?”

“Supreme Leader!” he gave a salute. “We have landed on the planet of EARTH, SIR!!”

Earth? He has never heard of this planet. “Thank you trooper. Move along” he waved him away.

“Moving along.” 


	3. The commoner

**He looked around. The portal was gone.**

**The Force needs him to stay here for some reason. He will need to find a way to survive.**

Ben was approached by several people at that event for what they said was “photoshoots’’. He has no idea what those are. He did know he needed credits if he was to survive in this world. He took these jobs, and soon made some friends. It was easy enough. Somehow they had all sorts of Kylo Ren robes for him to wear and he has to stand still while a bright light explodes from a strange contraption. Primitive. But the credits were good.

He found some lodging that he can afford with his credits. He took on a different name, as everybody would just _not_ accept that his name was Ben Solo. He called himself Randy. He heard someone calling him that and somehow they accepted it better than Ben. Randy it is. 

He hasn’t really WORKED his whole life. He had a comfortable childhood. He was sent off to the Jedi Academy, then ascended to the top of the ranks of the First Order with no actual labor on his part - he essentially got by on his strong Force powers. 

It didn’t work as well here, not like it did back home. This Earth, it had a strange energy. So much conflict.

It seems it’s being run by the First Order itself - more like many different First Orders in different parts of the same planet. They are so divided. And yet, occasionally, he sees glimmers of the Light. A mother cradling her child. Humans, helping other humans. A beautiful sunset. The calm waters of their seas. Lovers, of every kind, walking down the street, huddled in coffeeshops, eyeing each other across the room. This creature they call 'puppies'. The Light was everywhere around him. Sometimes he uses what Force powers he still has, to help people. So many people. So many people who need help.

There was infinite knowledge on this Earth as well. The books! He has always loved reading. He read so much his first few weeks here. Stories of hope, and war, pain and love. There were so many.

He even had enough credits to get one of those holo machines, which he watched voraciously. He liked this, working for these things. It was always just given to him. He even had his friend Matt help him set it up and they had what was called a ‘beer’ after. His friends were nice. They did think ‘Randy’ had a few screws loose but they all kind of did too, so it wasn’t a big deal. 

He stayed away from watching and reading about what they called ‘Star Wars’ though. He wasn’t ready for the stories. He had the books in his shelf. He just wasn’t ready. He had the discs for the holo machine. He wasn’t ready. Matt and the guys talked about it a lot though, and Ben always spoke in the first person when asked about his opinion, which delighted his friends.

‘’Hey guys’’ Matt asked the group. ‘’Do you think Ben Solo wears boxers, briefs or…nothing. What do you think, Randy?’’

Ben smiled. ‘’There’s no underwear in space. I usually just..let it hang out’’ His friends laughed. He laughed with them.

It was true though.

''I wish I knew what underwear WAS. Would have saved a lot of - chafing'' His friends roared in laughter.

''I mean those pants were high quality Bantha skin but I literally wore them ALL DAY'' 

"Please, Randy..'' Matt begged between fits of laughter ''Please, I can't BREATHE OH MY GOD''

Ben just smiled at him.

It was nice, to have friends. It was nice, to laugh.

He gets it now. Rey spending all that time with her friends at the Resistance.

He hopes she is safe with them.

\---

He considered it. Never going back. He tried, many times. He couldn’t do it. Maybe this was his atonement, he thought.

Maybe he is meant to learn how it is to be alone – truly alone. To fend for himself. To use his powers for good. To help others. To know how it is to not be a Solo, or a Skywalker, a Supreme Leader or a Jedi – just a human. Making his way in an infinite universe. This was how it is, for so many in the galaxy. He understood that now.

Maybe he’ll die here. Maybe that’s the only time he’ll see her again. The thought strengthens him throughout the day. Being with his friends, making a living – all the daily grind of being a commoner – it distracts him.

But at night, it comes.

The longing. The loneliness. The pain of not being with her. He couldn’t breathe.

“Rey. Rey, _please”_

He whispered every night before he slept, his eyes closed. Praying that when he opened them again, she will be there.

She never came.


	4. Find the maker

He tried to reach her, every night. In the quiet parts of his morning. In the spaces between the life he is building in this new planet.

She was not there.

So on that one night, when he tried desperately to reach her again – over a month now from when he first came here, he didn’t really expect anything.

And when all the sound in the room rushed out into nothing, and he raised his head and saw her, standing in the middle of the desert, looking at him shocked and speechless, he didn’t believe it at first.

He may have had too many beers. Or that funny cigarette Matt gives him sometimes. 

He was dreaming. That must be it. She was beautiful, her hair and her robes in the wind. A dream.

_“I love you, Ben Solo”_ he heard her say. Definitely a dream.

But she was still there. Staring at him with an equal amount of shock – and relief. Just staring at him. In his Earth clothes. In his Earth room. 

He talked first.

“I love you too Rey. I loved you from the moment I saw you. I never said it. Everyday, I wanted to say it”

Rey’s lips trembled as she felt his words wash over her. He loved her. All that time. Oh, all the time they wasted, just fighting. Fighting this stupid war. 

“Where are you Ben?”

“The Planet of Earth. I’ve learned so much, Rey - but I still don’t know how to..how to get back to you”

“Earth?’’ She knows where she’s heard this before. Earth. Leia told her about it. About him. ‘’Ben...find the maker..” 

“He’s here? The maker?”

“Yes. His name is George Lucas. He’ll bring you back.” Rey looks off to the side and smiles. “...He’ll do it for Leia, 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩.”

“..Not for us?”

“No. He didn’t make US Ben. Our maker made us..to be taken apart. But George made this universe. He made your parents.”

“My parents” Ben smiled. He thought about them all the time.

“...And they wanted you home. They still do.”

He thought of Han and Leia. How he broke their heart. How he now just wanted to make it right. They would be proud of him, he thought. Taking care of himself. Earning his own credits. A good friend. Using his Light for good in this strange planet.

“Where do I find him here,Rey?” He didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to hope. He held out hope for so long and was just starting to believe he will never come back. But the maker was _here._ Somewhere.

“Well..the sacred texts say he works at...’’ Rey searched her memories. “…Skywalker Ranch”

“Skywalker!’’ Ben smiled. ‘’Like Uncle Luke?’’

“𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪. Tell him you’re the Last Skywalker, Ben. Tell him..”

“…He is my only hope...” Ben trailed off.

“Yes.” Rey smiled. “Tell him that.”

—

Ben talked to Rey for as long as he could.

He saw the suns of Tatooine set as she gingerly walked closer and closer to him, careful to try and not to sever the precious connection prematurely.

He saw her shoo BB8 away as the droid tried to roll in and remind her that it was time to leave.

Neither of them wanted to leave. And They didn’t. They made their way into each other’s arms, finally releasing the pent-up longing and passion and love they were never able to fully explore in Exegol. The power of them touching and connecting across dimensions helped keep the forcebond alive. But the Force can only keep them together for so long. 

“You’re fading away, Ben” Rey said sadly as she was eventually nestled in his arms, Ben splayed across the couch, trying to keep this moment for as long as he could. ‘’Ben..don’t go’’

He felt her in his arms and he wishes they can just fade into the Force forever. But he needs to finish his story. The galaxy needed her and he needs to let her go.

‘’I’ll come back Rey. I’ll find the maker, and I’ll find my way back to you’’ he said as he kissed her forehead. ‘’I’ll come back for you sweetheart, I promise.’’

She caressed the side of his face and they shared one last kiss. And then he was gone.

Rey was alone again.

So was Ben.

But the Force was not done with them.

\--

Ben held the card in his hand.

Rian would know how to find him. 

The maker. It’s time. He needs to know the whole story. He’s ready.

Seeing Rey renewed the fight in him.

Matt gave him nine holodiscs, and says he should really start on Episode IV. His other friends insist he should start on Episode I.

Rey. He picked up the first one he saw that has her face on it. He missed her already. He'll start HERE.

He inserts the holodisc in the machine.

\--

Rey was on her way back to Ajan Kloss. BB8 kept beeping disapprovingly at her for taking so long.

‘’You can beep all you want little guy. I would have stayed there forever if I could’’ she smiled.

He looked so good. He felt so good. This must be what it feels like, to be in love. This must be what it feels like, to have hope. For the first time in a long time, she had hope in her heart again. He’ll find his way back to her. She knows it.

She closed her eyes and sent all her thoughts to the maker. ‘’Please George Lucas. Whoever you are. Bring Ben Solo back.’’

She opened her eyes. She reached out to the dice that hung on the Millenium Falcon as she continued her prayer. ‘’For Han. For Leia. For Luke. For Chewie and R2 and 3PO. For hope and for love.’’

BB8 sent out some concerned beeps.

‘’No BB8. It’s true, all of it.’’ Rey looked out into space from the Falcon’s cockpit.

‘’He’ll come back to me. Someday.’


	5. The saga

Ben stared at the screen for a long time, after all the credits have rolled, after the music faded away.

It was true, all of it.

\----

He marveled at what was called the Sequel Trilogy. It was like someone was…filming them the entire time. He cringed at seeing Kylo Ren and all he has done – not just because he was doing terrible things, but also he knows the darkness in his heart at those times. Strong darkness, intense loneliness – every day and every night there were voices in his head.

Rey. He loved seeing her, but his heart was in pain seeing her intense loneliness as well. They should have found each other sooner. He should have gotten rid of the darkness sooner.

He saw what Rian has done. And it was beautiful. It was a view from the heart.

He smiled remembering that man’s sweet face, giggling before every other sentence, obviously amused at him.

‘’Trust in the Force’’ he said. He does.

The last movie was difficult to go through. It was raw. It was too soon. It was hard to process.

It was entertaining, but it skipped over important parts of the story. The Oracle. His meeting with Chewie. His trip to Uncle Lando. His regret and shame at all he has done. By this time, he understood now how movies work, that it skips over certain parts that the director – this time not Rian – feels is not essential to the story. Maybe his was not the story this person wanted to tell.

Exegol was painful. Beautiful, but painful. Overall exactly as he remembered it, only not so blue. He just remembered even more of the Eternal Sith gathered in that Arena. A rumbling noise. Words he said to Rey. Words she said to him. He did remember their kiss being more…he smiled. Maybe they couldn’t show that to the kids. He watched as Rey returned to the Resistance base, and off to Tatooine. ‘’Rey Skywalker’’ she said.

Ben got up to take a moment. She’s a Skywalker now huh. She’s home. With her friends. Maybe she doesn’t need him anymore. He poured himself some beer.

Maybe he belongs here now.

**No.** He needs to snap out of this. Rey was _here,_ WITH him, on his couch. She came to him. She said she loved him. This couldn’t be the end of their story.

The maker. He needs to get into the mind of the maker.

It was time now, to get to know George Lucas.

\----

_A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away_

He clutched his heart at seeing his mother with R2D2.

He marveled at young uncle Luke, looking for adventure outside of Tatooine, and slowly growing into the powerful Jedi he has always known he was.

Obi-wan, the Jedi he was named after, making a sacrifice much like he did.

His father and uncle Chewie. He laughed at his wry humor. He knows where he got that from.

The Empire. The Death star. Darth effing Vader.

A small boy on Tatooine, with his own mother Shmi. Podracing. Much like he did when he was young.

Recruited into the Jedi order. Much like he was when he was young.

The great Jedi in their prime. Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-wan. Master Yoda.

The beautiful Padme Amidala, his grandmother, and the love she has for Anakin.

The great Republic. Emperor Palpatine.

Palpatine. He killed her, but he also made her.

\---

The failures of the Jedi. The evil deceptions of the Sith.

He knew Anakin fell for it too. The empty promises.

He also saw how friendship, love and family would always end up and triumph over all of that.

It was a cycle. A cycle. Where love and redemption always wins.

This is what the maker has intended.

**This is why he will help Ben come home.**


	6. Ben Solo Lives

He picked up on the third ring.

“Rian. _You have to help me.”_

“Ooookay. Who is this?”

“Ben Solo.”

“Adam! How are you? Have you read through that script I sent you for..”

“It’s Ben Solo”

Rian giggled. Noah did say this boy really got into his roles. “Okay, BEN SOLO. How can I help you?”

“I need to see George Lucas”

Rian sat up. They said he’d never touch a Star War again. Yet here he was. His bright boy, wanting to get back into it?

\---

“Aah. It takes a hold of you doesn’t it.” Rian laughed. He thought he was done too. But the pull was strong. The stories were epic.

“You have to help me. George Lucas..would want me to come back. He would want me to be with her” 

Rian smiled. This boy really was into it huh. 

“..She needs me. The darkness will always be there. She still has it in her. It will come back. She can’t fight it alone. We’re a dyad in the Force, RIAN”

“Okay chill out dude” Rian wonders if he’s had a bit too much to drink or something - he can’t possibly be THIS passionate. “You know I’m working on that trilogy right? I’m still working it out you know. And I’m bringing George in, I need him, I need him to bring the story home. It’s hard..after that last movie. But I think we can do it. We actually need you though, to make it work but I thought you’d never..you wouldn’t..but hey here you are! I mean don’t tell anyone though it’s like a big secret. You know how this is.”

“I will give everything I have to you Rian. _Take me to him_ ”

Rian laughed. He even TALKS like Kylo. “Not necessary. I mean we have a meeting coming up he’ll be happy to have you over at the ranch. Where are you? Still in Brooklyn? Can you make it to California by..Tuesday? I mean I know your schedule is probably full..

“Tuesday. I will meet you on Tuesday”

\---

Matt helped Ben purchase some tickets to California.

‘’Hey man, where exactly are you going..I mean you have family there or?’’ Matt worries sometimes about his friend. He’s definitely one of the biggest and strongest men he knows, and not likely to get in any sort of physical danger – but at times he was like a child. Wide eyed and innocent of the ways of this world. He wondered, not for the first time, if he has ever even ‘been’ with anyone.

“I have’’ Ben smiled at him.

Did he just – did he just read my mind? Matt looked at his friend suspiciously

‘’I mean..’’ Ben caught himself ‘’..I do have relatives there. I’ll go to my uncle’s ranch. In Nicasio.’’

Matt let out a sigh of relief. Not only does he have family, he seems to be loaded. That's an expensive area for a ranch. He doesn’t seem like it, with his ragtag furniture and bargain bin basic clothes – but he has always acted a bit – royal. He’ll be fine. He’ll miss him though.

‘’Randy…’’ Matt thought maybe he should tell him.

‘’I know.’’ Ben smiled. ‘’I’ll miss you too, man. Thanks for all the help.’’

Ben reached out to hug his friend and whispered in his ear. ‘’Hey, and don’t worry. They’ll bring Ben Solo back.’’

Matt smiled and thumped his chest. ‘’Ben Solo Lives, man’'

\---

The flight to California was dreadful. The whole time Ben squirmed in his seat and tried to resist the urge to take over the pilot controls and hit hyperspeed. He missed flying but this was like..a flying turtle.

It didn’t help that he can barely fit in the seat. Thank goodness he was seated in the aisle, but the beverages cart kept knocking his knee.

‘’OW’’ he yelped. The lady apologized profusely. The pain radiated across his whole leg and he had to center himself to keep calm. Kylo Ren would have had a fit. He smiled at the lady. ‘’It’s okay’’ he said through gritted teeth.

By the time he landed at the San Francisco airport, he was grumpy and impatient. It didn’t help that people kept approaching him asking for a photo. Maybe they saw his ‘’photoshoot’’ pictures, Matt did say some of the models become famous.

They were even asking for his signature – and would yelp in delight when he’d sign his name. ‘ _Ben Solo_ ’ he would scrawl on a photo of what was obviously Kylo Ren. ‘’Kylo Ren is dead’’ he told the lady who handed him the photo. She looked at him and smiled and yelled ‘’But Ben Solo Lives!! ‘’ She raised her fist and giggled. A group of people behind them cheered. Ben looked up. There were so many of them. He smiled.

Why are there so many who believe? They believe in Ben. They saw the same movies he did. They too held out hope. 

’'Go get her, Ben Solo!!’’ someone else yelled out.

‘’Maybe I will’’ he smiled and gave a soft shrug.

The crowd went wild.

\---

A group of men in suits ushered him into a large car.

This must be the car Rian said was going to be ready for him. ‘’Good evening Mr. Driver’’ The man in the front seat smiled at him in the rearview mirror.

‘’No..that’s you.’’

The chauffer chuckled. His deadpan humor is legendary. ‘’Yes sir. And we are going to Skywalker Ranch in Nicasio County. That will be 45 miles so you can rest up’’

‘’Where’s Rian?’’

‘’Oh Mr. Johnson has already gone ahead, he arrived yesterday sir.’’

Ben stared out into the open road, lost in his thoughts. He thought of her.

_I’m on my way Rey. Wait for me. Wait for me._


	7. The Ranch

_The car meandered around a long entranceway._

_The compound was massive, 2,500 acres according to the chauffer, and Ben saw creatures he has never seen before grazing on the green grass. In the middle was a sweeping three-story house majestically perched on the rolling hills._

_SKYWALKER RANCH._

_\------_

They were expecting him.

‘’Right this way, Mr. Driver.’’

The guide led him around the halls of the main house, a beautiful structure, filled with priceless paintings which reminded Ben of the home they used to have in Chandrila. They passed a massive library, countless rooms and a number of full studios. This is where the maker works, he thought. This was where he spun the Universe in which Ben belongs.

The guide opened the massive oak doors that led to George’s study.

Ben drew his breath. This was his shot.

\---

‘’You’re here!’’ Rian exclaimed excitedly.

Ben gave him a long hug. This man saved him, he just didn’t know it yet. What he did – that movie he made – has lit a fire in so many here on earth. For Ben Solo. For him. The Force will take their love and will not waste it. He knows it.

‘’George, you know – ‘’ Rian began to introduce them

George was sitting in his large comfortable leather chair. He looked up at him.

**‘’..It’s you.’’**

‘’Right? This is him.’’ Rian said excitedly. ‘’This is our Ben.’’

George was still staring at him. Unblinking.

Rian looked at them both. ‘’Look, I have to go down for a quick chat with John on our music – I’ll leave you two alone okay?’’

Neither Ben nor George said anything.

Rian slipped out of the room.

Ben couldn’t believe he was face to face with the maker.

George couldn’t believe that Ben Solo was actually HERE.

\----

‘’Who **ARE** you’’ George asked him.

Ben stood straight up and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘’I am Ben Solo. I am the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. I am the grandson of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie. Nephew and padawan of Luke Skywalker. I was Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader of the First Order. I am a dyad in the Force with Rey of Jakku, granddaughter of Darth Sidious and the last Jedi. And I need to come home.’’

George’s eyes filled with tears.

‘’..Help me George Lucas, you’re my only hope.’’ His brown eyes shone like his mother's.

George knew the moment he walked in here.

This was not the actor. This was him. He doesn’t know how he knows. He felt it in the Force.

\---

‘’My boy. How did you get here?’’

‘’Have you seen it, maker? The last movie. What happened to me’’

‘’…Yes.’’ George said sadly. He watched it with Rian the night before, to prepare for what they need to do. He wasn’t exactly over it.

‘’I came here through the Vergence Scatter. The World between Worlds.’’

‘’Of course, of course, I knew it.’’ George stood up. He reached up to pat Ben on the shoulder, just to make sure he was real. ‘’Then you came…here’’

‘’I did not know where I was at first. But Rey told me I’d find you here. She learned about you..from my mother.’’

Leia. George smiled. This was Leia’s boy.

\---

George missed her. He can see her, in this boy. He can see Han. He can see Anakin and Padme. Especially when he talked about his Rey. Ahh, love.

‘’You love her.’’ George smiled.

‘’YES, I do. I DO’’ Ben felt if anyone would understand, it would be the maker.

‘’Then. ergo, you have to be together!’’ George said simplistically, sinking back into his armchair, lost in thought.

‘’I have done many terrible things as Kylo Ren.’’ Ben found a seat across George. ‘’I may have lost the right to love – and be loved.’’

‘’Nobody loses that right son.’’ George said sternly, staring at the fireplace. ‘’We may take zigs and zags to get to the right path, but you son – are made of the Light. The Sith…it is fickle, and it is deceptive. The way they wrote you…’’ George shook his head. ‘’tormented from BIRTH? You had..you had no choice in the first years of your life’’

Ben remembered the voices. For as long as he can remember. As an infant, it was there.

George went on, as if dissecting a complex puzzle. ‘’..but no matter how corrupted with the dark side you have been, your core has been the Light. And you knew it. You felt it. You fought it…’’

He did. The light, it has always been there.

‘’I…I killed my father. I killed Han Solo.’’ Ben hung his head, ashamed to say this to the maker – who created the Han Solo he was talking about.

‘’Ahhh..Han. I made Han Solo, son. He was a complex character…a scoundrel, at first..’’ George trailed off ‘’…but his core was always loyalty, love, and what is right. He was one of the good guys. He’ll try all sorts of things but will always end up doing what is right. You know he was supposed to die at some point in my trilogy? Thank the Force he didn't. But he would have…he would have died to save his son. And he did. He gave his life to be killed by Kylo Ren..to save Ben Solo.’’

‘’His death..it broke me’’

‘’As it should have. You loved him, Ben. You needed that push, to learn Love again. Look at what happens.’’ George gestured to the air, showing Ben point by point what has happened to him.

‘’The first time we see you in Rian’s film, you break your mask. You are starting to break free from Kylo. And then..through all the First Order training, through the dark side voices in your head --- you refused to kill your mother’

Ben remembers that moment.

‘’That, my son’’ George emphasized this with his hands ‘’Is an act of free will.’’

\--

‘’Free will?’’ Ben asked him

‘’Take for example a game of Sabacc’’ George explained. ‘’Destiny – is the cards you are dealt. Free Will – is how you play it’’

‘’Our choices determine our fate, not our destiny or our bloodline or how people treated us when we were young. Free will is a gift from the Force. It is a chance to break free from a destiny determined to bring us down. Or a chance to make the universe better with what you have been given. Look at Rey. She was dealt a terrible hand, but her internal compass always directed her to the good.’’

Ben remembered his visions of Rey. A small girl left alone on a harsh desert planet.

‘’She was strong, but she was not tormented and targeted from birth like you were. Her parents hid her for a reason. You however – the bright Skywalker-Solo boy that was promised – everyone knew who you were. From birth your free will was impeded by the Sith.’’

‘’There is your destiny on one side. And Free Will on the other. You have demonstrated time and again that you ultimately would use your free will FOR others. A true Jedi. When you have learned to overcome the voice of the Sith in your head– when your humanity was awakened, when the real you shines through, you have done good. You have chosen to spare your mother. To help Rey with Snoke. To hold her hand and tell her she wasn’t alone. The dark kept trying to pull you in. But in the end, at Exegol, you have chosen to use your free will for the light’’ George recalled the events of the last three movies. Yes, Ben was in there all along.

\--

Ben still worried it may be too late for him. ‘’I have given too much – to the Dark Side. I have been trained, it’s in me’’

You must understand Ben, about the Force. There is Light and Dark. **Both**. The dark side of the Force has always been manipulated by the Sith for their own gain. But having the dark side, in and of itself – is part of our condition as beings, in us all. It is in and of itself devoid of morality – it just is. It is part of the Living Force. And what you have achieved…’’

George paused. He looked out into the ranch.

‘’What you have achieved – was the Balance. You have powerful light, and powerful dark – and in the end, your passion and emotion – a hallmark of the dark side, was used to commit an act of selfless sacrifice – a key characteristic of the light side.’’

George remembers someone else who has done this. ‘’Like Anakin, in the end.’’

‘’But Anakin..has passed into the Force. Why haven’t I?’’

‘’The red string of fate. Love. Padme didn’t either. She has been in the Vergence Scatter until Anakin himself passed. Her soul yearned for her love. He spent his whole life trying to bring her back ‘’

‘’Will I too have to wait..for Rey to pass?’’

‘’Padme was not strong in the Force as you Ben. You and Rey – you are a Dyad in the Force. You have to understand the force connects you, even now. She can bring you back. And you will be strong enough for the journey’’

‘’I will?’’

‘’You are Ben Solo’’

‘’I am. _I am Ben Solo_.’’

‘.. And Ben..’’ George looked him straight in the eyes. ‘’You have to know this. The evil Sith are not done with your Galaxy. The Sith is more than just Sidious. They are there. They will rise again. They need you. She needs you.’’

‘’She is powerful. She has the whole Resistance behind her…’’ Ben trailed off, still unsure if he was worthy.

‘’No, Ben. Only you have fully mastered the balance of the Light and the Dark. She has it in her too, but she has not spent the same time in the Dark as you have. This is the only way to finally defeat the Sith. To – in a way – take back the Dark side **FROM** them. Otherwise the battle will continue to rage on’’

Ben was confused. The maker reminded him of what he thought Master Yoda would have been like. He speaks with a great wisdom, but he doesn't immediately understand. 

‘’The Sith bastardized the dark side for selfish power for ages. It has always been there, but they rose from the Jedi order, determined to wield it solely for their own rise to power. The galaxy needs to learn how the dark side is really used, integrated into the Universe without the selfish intentions of the Sith.'' George settled into his own myth like a familiar blanket.

 **''It is time, Ben, for the Sith to end**.’’


	8. The String

_**George was still looking out into the rolling hills of the ranch. He knew what he must do.** _

He and Rian might face some resistance to this. But that’s what they do. They rebel.

Thankfully he’s not on the Internet, he chuckled.

‘’Ben. I’m going to ask you to go to one of the rooms here. Make yourself comfortable.’’

Ben smiled. ‘’I..I don’t know how to thank you..’’

‘’Just tell me, Ben. What was it like..in your Universe’’

Ben told him of his beautiful home in Chandrila. About his beautiful mother. His father, doting on him and playing with him, teaching him how to Podrace when his mother was away. His Uncle Chewie and Uncle Lando. R2 and 3PO. He told him of his mighty uncle Luke, strong with the Force, a great Jedi. The different planets he has visited. The ships he has flown. The different creatures in the galaxy.

George listened with glee, his hand clasped together and occasionally stroking his beard. It was beautiful. Not bad for his soap opera in space, he chuckled. This universe deserves a second chance. It needs Ben Solo.

\---

Ben gave him a long hug.

George touched his face. ‘’My boy. Give my love, to your mother.’’

‘’I will.’’

Remember your free will. Remember that we are all capable of the light. And always, always, Trust in the Force. It will lead you to the right choices.

‘’I will’’

‘’May the Force be with you, Ben Solo. May The Force be with us all’’

‘’ _ **..Always.**_ ’’ Ben smiled

\---

Ben was ushered into a meditation room.

He sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes.

He thought of all he has learned in this dimension. His friends. His labors. The beauty and the turmoil. The people who have helped him, a nobody, to navigate this strange landscape. Matt and all his friends. Rian and George. He was filled with gratitude for them, and blessed them in his heart.

He thought of the saga of his universe. The Light and the Dark constantly battling. The heroes and the villains, the magic and the spectacle and also the quiet moments – between a mother and a child. Between lovers. Between friends. Between unlikely allies. This was what he was coming back to save. He prayed he will be strong enough to make this journey.

He thought of his parents. How all his life they just wanted him to come home. How they did not know what was happening to him, desperate to help. They did. In the end they were stronger than the Sith. They planted the seeds of love in him and it burst forth at the right time. They were good parents. He thanked the Force for Han Solo and Leia Organa, and all those who have guided him with the Light.

And he thought of her. Her warm eyes. Her brilliant smile. She was home. She was his home. He would give his life for her a thousand times, he knows that now. He will do it again.

_‘’I’ll come back for you sweetheart, I promise. Wait for me. Wait for me’’_

Ben continued to reach out for her, and he felt it in a vision – a string, faint at first, floating in his mind’s eye. Then solid and clear. A red string. Take it Ben. Take it. Come back to me. He held on tight.

\---

‘’Where did he go?’’ Rian peeked into George’s office, looking for his Oscar winning actor.

‘’Ahh..he has gone. He’ll call you soon. I think he’ll do it.’’ George said, still looking out the window.

Rian laughed. He’s always so busy, flying off here and there. He hoped he’ll sign up. He hoped this little chat with George went a long way in convincing him. They have not written him in yet though. He needs at least a script to read.

‘’We have to write him in, George.’’

‘’Here’’ George handed him some paper ‘’Let’s do it now. Opening Crawl.’’

Rian smiled. They’ll really do it. They’ll bring him back.

_A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…._

\---

As Rian and George wrote feverishly in George’s study, Ben felt himself becoming more faint.

In the tastefully decorated mediation room in the famed Skywalker ranch, Ben Solo passed from this dimension.

\----

_‘’Be with me. Be with me.’’_

With all her strength in the Force she reached out and sent a string of pure energy for Ben Solo. She felt him, faintly. But he was not there.

Rey prayed, everyday, for Ben to come back. It has been over a month now. Time passed differently for her.

It’s taking too long.

She was starting to lose hope.

She couldn’t even reach him.

She needs him.

She feels it…the return of the Dark Side. Rumblings in the ground. Whispers in the far corners of the Galaxy. Monsters, from the deep. A legendary Sith rises. She can feel it.

She will have to face it. Alone.

_**''You’re not alone''** _

Rey turned around.


	9. Epilogue

**_Episode X : The Return of Skywalker_ **

****

**_The Resistance rebuilds after the battle of Exegol._ **

**_GENERAL POE DAMERON along with his co-general FINN_**

**_and all the brave leaders of the former Resistance set out to keep the peace across the Galaxy_ **

**_and restore alliances among all the planets._ **

****

**_Meanwhile, an ancient SITH rebuilds underground._**

**_DARTH PLAGEUIS unearths horrors never before seen,_** **_monsters unleashing torment in all corners of the galaxy._ **

**_This was just the beginning. The Sith are preparing to take over once again._ **

**_REY the last JEDI, prepares for the greatest battle of her life._ **

**_She is not alone._ **

**_Rising from the Vergence Scatter, an unlikely hero returns to help her bring BALANCE TO THE FORCE._ **

_**THE LAST SKYWALKER has returned.** _

**Author's Note:**

> For George and Rian  
> and to all those who want our boy back
> 
> @missporgy


End file.
